


The Science of Sleep and The Avoidance Thereof

by anotherfngrl



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Cocoa and cuddles, Coffee, Gen, Science Bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:01:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26089828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anotherfngrl/pseuds/anotherfngrl
Summary: Steve referees a little friendly competition between the Science Bros.
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark
Kudos: 7
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2020





	The Science of Sleep and The Avoidance Thereof

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff! Silly, pointless fluff

Steve isn't sure what they're even competing for, anymore. Originally, he thinks it had started with actual science, but at this point it's dissolved into chaos. Most things do, with Banner and Stark.  
  
Steve is mostly focused, at this point, on minimizing the fallout. And making sure none of their roommates kill them. Which is becoming progressively harder.  
  
They're competing to design the world's most powerful cup of coffee, as best he understands it. Pitting Dr. Banner's actual knowledge of organic chemistry and the human body against... Tony's obsession with not sleeping. And not sleeping he is.  
  
They'd set up an entire, rigorous testing process for the beverages. They have to each try each one, for consistency's sake. Their original experiment design had called for a hundred testers, or at least the whole team, but Steve had nixed that idea quickly.  
  
He'd also limited them to one trial a week. Which would be more effective if Tony hadn't stayed up five days in a row on each of their recipes last round. Bruce had only made it three, but that had been harrowing enough for everybody.  
  
At eight pm, he collects each genius from their lab, where they are mad sciencing away. He sits them down in the living room, puts them on the couch with blankets, and makes them cocoa. Tony had insisted after he did it once that it had to be regular, for experimental consistency, so they do this every night now.  
  
Steve passes out the cocoa and joins his favorite mad scientists on the couch. They each snuggle in, punchy with exhaustion even the day before a new test. Steve is starting to worry.  
  
"You know, you could just declare it a tie," he offers. Before someone's heart explodes, he doesn't add. That's a little too on the nose to be funny.  
  
"It can always be better," Tony insists. Steve is pretty sure Tony doesn't actually know things can be finished. He's lost count of how many Iron Man armors there are at this point.  
  
"But if you're always improving this, you won't be able to work on anything new. How about a new contest?" Steve offers hopefully. Ideally, something that involves sleep.  
  
"That's true," Bruce muses. "I haven't touched my gamma work in weeks." Bruce is the more reasonable of the pair, so Steve latches on to that.  
  
"See! You've made something far better than anything previously available. Now it's time to move on to other things," he says hopefully.  
  
"If you're ready to move on, go ahead, Cap. This contest isn't over!" Tony insists. His fighting words do not line up with the sleepy way he's snuggling his cocoa.  
  
"I'm pretty sure I'm refereeing whatever comes next, too. I'd just like you to go back to sleeping every night," Steve admits. He doesn't want the scientists to think he resents being their competition judge- it's usually the highlight of his day.  
  
"Pfft. Like I ever slept every night." The way Tony says it, Steve's pretty sure it's true.  
  
"Oooh. Sleep solutions. Can we solve it with hardware- your forte, or software- mine?" Bruce muses.  
  
"What qualifies as sleep software?" Steve asks, intrigued. And really hoping this will catch Tony's competitive nature if not his interest. Maybe it will even actually help.  
  
"The brain is the computer in this instance. Sleep solutions affecting brain chemistry or thought patterns would be 'software' in this instance," Bruce explains, already reaching for a tablet.  
  
"Whereas he thinks I'm going to design a better bed. Pfft, I've moved past beds! I'm going to design a SLEEP POD," Tony announces.  
  
"Sounds really swell, guys. What do you say we start trials in a week? I'll even help test these solutions! A week of three people testing should give you good data, right?" Steve asks, pleased.  
  
Both scientists agree, and they begin planning their respective sleep solutions. Steve wonders if he should tell them now he intends to compete, too. He's not sure any technology can beat cocoa and cuddling.


End file.
